Your Instagram photos may reveal more about loneliness than you think

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20261109/Your-Instagram-photos-may-reveal-more-about-loneliness-than-you-think.aspx From late-night posts to facial expressions in profile pictures, researchers examined whether everyday Instagram habits could offer a window into an often-hidden aspect of mental health. Research suggests that loneliness is associated with an increased risk of early death comparable to that associated with smoking. In a recent study published in the journal npj Mental Health Research, scientists at the University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA, tested whether Instagram behavior among American college students reveals several distinct forms of loneliness.

Drinking 2–3 cups of coffee a day? A study of 495,000 adults links it to lower AF risk

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20261109/Drinking-2e280933-cups-of-coffee-a-day-A-study-of-495000-adults-links-it-to-lower-AF-risk.aspx Could your daily coffee or tea habit influence your heart rhythm? A 13-year study involving nearly half a million UK adults examines how different consumption levels relate to atrial fibrillation risk, raising fresh questions about two of the world's most popular beverages. In a recent study published in the journal Food & Nutrition Research, researchers investigated associations between tea and coffee intake and the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). The findings linked coffee consumption to a modestly lower AF risk, particularly at 2–3 cups daily, while tea results were less consistent.

Why are some patients lying to their doctors to get antibiotics?

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20261110/Why-are-some-patients-lying-to-their-doctors-to-get-antibiotics.aspx From feeling ignored by doctors to believing antibiotics are the only answer, new research reveals why some patients bend the truth to get prescriptions, and what this could mean for antibiotic resistance. A recent study in the journal JAMA Network Open reports that in a survey of US adults, nearly 28% said they had at some point misrepresented their symptoms to clinicians to obtain antibiotics. Lower awareness of antibiotic risks and the dangers of antimicrobial resistance were associated with higher odds of such misrepresentation.

Qureight’s fibrosis imaging biomarker selected by Contineum Therapeutics as a secondary endpoint in Phase 2 PROPEL-IPF clinical trial

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20261110/Qureighte28099s-fibrosis-imaging-biomarker-selected-by-Contineum-Therapeutics-as-a-secondary-endpoint-in-Phase-2-PROPEL-IPF-clinical-trial.aspx Qureight, an end-to-end imaging company providing enterprise-grade imaging and precision endpoints for clinical trials for lung and heart disease, and Contineum Therapeutics, Inc. (Contineum), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering differentiated small molecule therapies for inflammatory and fibrotic diseases with significant unmet need, today announced that Qureight’s Fibr8™ quantitative imaging biomarker is being used as a secondary endpoint in Contineum’s PROPEL-IPF Phase 2 clinical trial examining the safety and efficacy of PIPE-791, Contineum’s lead drug candidate, in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients.

Could Ozempic and Wegovy affect unborn babies?

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20261110/Could-Ozempic-and-Wegovy-affect-unborn-babies.aspx They’re the blockbuster drugs transforming weight loss, helping millions of people to shed unwanted pounds. But while medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy may also improve women’s chances of falling pregnant, what happens to their unborn babies if they continue to take the drugs during pregnancy?

Could a common diabetes drug help prevent long COVID?

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20261110/Could-a-common-diabetes-drug-help-prevent-long-COVID.aspx A nationwide study suggests that prescribing the widely used diabetes drug metformin soon after COVID-19 infection may substantially reduce the risk of long COVID or death, reinforcing earlier clinical trial findings. Prescription of metformin within six days of documented severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is associated with a 53% lower risk of developing long COVID or death over six months, according to a new study published in the Journal of Medical Virology.

Does Eating a Wider Variety of Plants Improve Your Health?

https://www.news-medical.net/health/Does-Eating-a-Wider-Variety-of-Plants-Improve-Your-Health.aspx Could the number of plant species on your plate reveal something that portion sizes and food groups miss? For decades, dietary advice has focused on consuming specific quantities of each food group. More recently, researchers are exploring whether species diversity itself acts as an independent marker of diet quality. This concept, also known as dietary or food biodiversity, includes the diversity of plant and animal species consumed. Plant-focused approaches encourage consuming a wide range of fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices.2,4 Evidence links greater dietary species richness with better nutrient adequacy, while the independent health benefits of increasing plant species counts remain uncertain.1,4